Travel blog

The strikingly beautiful Death Valley National Park in the heart of the Mojave Desert is a land of extremes. It is the lowest, driest and hottest place in the nation with scorching temperatures that can soar above 120 degrees.

This eerie desert landscape is as varied as it is beautiful. Dramatic mountains give way to expansive salt flats, sand dunes and unique hillside landscapes. There is much to do experience and see in this stunning stretch of desert.

Here are some of the top things to do in Death Valley National Park:

Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah is most famous for its unique rock formations known as hoodoos. The park is home to the world’s largest concentration of hoodoos, which rise high up into the air like totem poles in vivid red, orange, and amber. The park also boasts spectacular natural amphitheaters and bowls, pine forests, high plateaus, and deep valleys. Anywhere youlook in Bryce Canyon is uniquely beautiful, and you can look forward a new jaw-dropping vista at every turn. People often spend just a day or two in Bryce Canyon as part of a trip to multiple national parks, if you plan out your stay—that’s plenty.

Smoky, savory, juicy, and delicious, barbecue is arguably Americas greatest culinary tradition. Unlike grilling, which involves quick, high heat cooking, proper barbecue must be done low and slow. Cooked over a wood fire whose flavorful smoke permeates the meat, the art of barbecue creates some of the tastiest food in the world. Barbecue regions have their own distinct styles with signature flavor profiles, sauces, cuts of meat, and iconic restaurants.

Running parallel to the Mississippi for nearly 1,400 miles from Minnesota down to the Gulf of Mexico, Highway 61 is one of America’s iconic roads. Particularly the final stretch from Memphis to New Orleans known as the Blues Highway. Countless blues musicians traveled the Blues Highway in the early and mid-20^th century. This is where the blues was born, and it is full of can’t-miss stops for blues lovers.  The land that gave us Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Robert Johnson is rich with culture and filled with music.  Visiting the historic sites of the Blues Highway that explore this musical past are an unforgettable experience.

As opening day approaches, Balloon Fiesta Park becomes a boomtown. It buzzes with the sound of trucks and people rushing to prepare the site of one of Albuquerque’s premiere events.

In this makeshift city, experienced workers and volunteers alike must come together to set up booths and facilities in anticipation of 900,000 guests. Since 1972, visitors have flocked to New Mexico each year to gaze upward and be awed by the magnificence of hundreds of hot air balloons.

The Rose Parade is the “granddaddy of them all,” a beloved institution known as America’s New Year Celebration. It is as closely tied to the New Year holiday as fireworks or optimistic resolutions. For many first-time visitors to this Pasadena, California event, there are a host of questions about the ins and outs of seeing it in person. If you’re considering a trip to Southern California for next year’s event, here are our tips for how to prepare for your first Rose Parade.

Considered by many to be the greatest city in the world, New York City is a place unlike any other. It is constantly buzzing with the energy of its 8 million residents and the millions of visitors that pass through its streets every year. Gotham, The Big Apple, The City of Dreams—whatever you call it, New York is a one-of-a-kind city filled with iconic sights and some of the world’s best attractions. Don’t miss out on these must-see places in NYC.

On the stunning façade above the ornate door of Mission San Xavier del Bac, a stone-carved cat, its sharpest details rounded down by years of wind and desert rain, crouches, ready to attack the mouse on the other side of the grand entryway. Legend says that when the cat finally eats, the world will end.

Nicknamed the “White Dove of the Desert” and listed as a National Historic Landmark, the mission is still an active church. It has been abandoned, survived an earthquake, and most impressively withstood both the ravages of the time and the encroachment of the modern world. It stands as a striking beacon in the Sonoran Desert, at what the Spaniards who built it considered the very edge of the known world.

A trip to New England in September or October is a magical experience as trees in the region transform into a dazzling mosaic of colors. There is plenty to see and do on a tour of New England during fall, with many activities focused on the harvest and foliage.

There is so much to do in Denali National Park. The Alaskan preserve offers beautiful scenery, fascinating wildlife, and unbeatable views. While Denali is known for being home to North America’s highest mountain peak, that’s not all there is to discover in the country’s northernmost state.